Best food combinations & my new online studio!

We know what to eat. We know what is good for us. But eating certain foods together can benefit us that much more. Here are a few foods that compliment each other when eaten together.

• Broccoli and mustard. After cooking vegetables they lose a bit of their nutrients.  Next time you cook broccoli add some mustard to it! The mustard contains an enzyme that is destroyed during the cooking process.
• Turmeric and salmon. My mom always told me to season things with turmeric due to its many health benefits, but now I know what to pair it with...salmon!
• Grilled steak and brussels sprouts.
• Tomato and olive oil or tomato and avocado. Does not seem too crazy or odd, but may help your body absorb more lycopene. Lycopene (found in tomatoes and other red foods, think grapefruit and guava) protect your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals.
• Beans and greens (or any food high in vitamin C like spinach and oranges) - for better iron absorption.

If you are interested in learning more behind the science of these food parings check out the sources below (also my inspiration for this blog):

REAL SIMPLE

lifehacker

AND I am also super excited to announce that I will be starting an online studio! What does this mean for you? YOU can take class WITH ME, anywhere around the world... LIVE!  Check my out my schedule, and see what times and days work for you- sign up and BAM its done!  If you have any time/day requests I would love to hear them.

My first class is tomorrow at 6:45-7:15am (eastern time). It is going to be a good introduction to this new online class thing. A 30 minute quick and effective mat work out. Wake up, get on your mat, and get on with your life! See you tomorrow morning on the mat and on the inter-web!! All you need is a camera (that most computers have built in already) or a webcam. It is super easy and fool-proof!

If you have any Q's do not hesitate to email me or comment below!

Check out my studio and sign up here.

Neon for Spring/Summer

I love bright colors. And neon takes bright to a whole new level. If you look at my wardrobe it is mostly black, but I love to accessorize with the some brights.  Here are some ways to brighten up your wardrobe! NEON Hanky Panky:

My favorite underwear. One Size fits all. I don't know how they do it but it works! You need to get at least ONE pair just to feel how amazing it is. (I was going to model these for my blogs sake...JUST KIDDING!!!)

Pink Pants:

Picture this: I am on my way to teach a 6:15am class and as I am walking I am thinking in my head about my next blog and how it is going to be all about neon. Then within seconds, in the distance, I see neon pink pants walking toward me. I stop this girl literally in the middle of the street and snapped her photo! She was kind and had a sweet English (?) accent. I might have caught her during her walk of shame... woops!

BODY ROCK sports bra: The Ruby Bra

One of my fave bras by body rock. Supportive, NEON PINK, bling, and a little lace. HOLLA.

Reebok  REALFLEX SCREAM Shoes:

Fun and light weight. You get the brights in the laces and at the base of the shoes!

And my most recent NEON item, and one of my faves....TIEKS! UMM yes! IN NEON! They come in all colors from neon yellow, pink, orange and GREEN! Check them out here!

Do you have a favorite neon item?

Starving for a photo shoot

I recently had a photo shoot with Eric Levin, from Elevin Studios. The photos are for a composite card, which is like a portfolio/business card combo. This will be a really useful tool for me as I am trying to get into fitness modeling and/or commercial modeling. When I say fitness modeling I do not mean that my goal is to do muscle posing on the cover of Oxygen, I mean I want to display exercises in a spread in SHAPE magazine!

After my shoot someone asked me if I went on "some crazy diet" before the shoot.  Legit question. I can totally understand wanting to look your best for photos that will be in the public eye, but here is my answer… NO!  This was my second photo shoot, the first being with Lucie Wicker Photography, and before that one I DID restrict my food intake more. After that experience, I told myself I would not do it again for the following reasons:

1. I hate restrictions! I like to eat what my body needs.

2. I was so grumpy and all I thought about was food.

3. I ate even worse AFTER the shoot that I did before I started my “diet." I had an “I am free” feeling and thought “let me eat the world!”

4. I eat clean enough that there was no noticeable difference in my body, even with the restrictions.

5. Who  am I trying to fool? I know what my body looks like and the photos should be a strong representation of that. It would not be good business practice to advertise myself a certain way on my comp card and show up to a photo shoot with my body looking different.

I guess my restrictive diet before my first photo shoot was kind of a test. Would I still feel good for a photo shoot without restrictions before? Would I be bloated?  Would I look my best? For my most recent shoot with Elevin I ate my PB, almond butter, oatmeal, quinoa, nuts, mango (dried no sugar added), and mini dark chocolate chips, which are all the things I did not allow myself to have before that first shoot.

While I didn't completely restrict, I DID do things differently for the three days before the shoot:

1. I LOVE broccoli and brussels sprouts, but they can make me bloated and, errr, gassy so I stayed away from them! Yes, they are great foods for a healthy diet when you're trying to lose weight, but I was more concerned with avoiding bloat than dropping pounds.

2. I traded in my daily apples for grapefruit. I chose grapefruit thinking that the fiber pectin would help cleanse my body. I'm not sure if it did anything, but mentally it made me feel better.

How did I feel at this shoot with Eric, you're wondering? AMAZING! I felt better than I did during my first shoot. I felt I had more energy, I was stronger, and I was ready to conquer!

On the morning of the shoot I ate oatmeal, half a banana, and PB. During the day,though, I was only able to scarf down an apple and Asian pear in between shots. My body is used to eating every 2-3 hours, so eating nothing that day wasn't a great idea. But my energy was so high and I was so excited to be doing what I was doing I didn't feel hungry or shaky. It's weird how your body can go in to a ZONE and just GO.

I can’t wait to share more about the shoot with you, tips from the makeup artist, advice from the photographer, and all the other things I learned during the shoot! Stay tuned!

San Francisco hills, make a run that much harder

I was away this past week in San Francisco visiting family

friends

and wine.

During my vacation I made sure to get in 4 days of a full workout. Two of those days were spent running the hills of San Francisco. HOLY MOLY. Seriously awesome. I would walk fast up one hill and then sprint up another, I was exhausted in no time. I am not a fan of inclines on treadmills so the natural hills were a real challenge. The workout was just what I needed to switch up my regular routine!  Check out these hills:

The other day consisted of hiking/ walking a scenic trail

and my last day was my first pilates reformer class!

Have you ever tried the reformer? Did you like it?

Oh, one more thing... humor me and do a solid minute of what I call standing twist oblique work. Some tips on form:

• keep your knees together
• twist your upper body in the opposite direction than your hips are going
• pull your stomach in tight and use your arms to help you get some movement
• jump like you have never jumped before

Enjoy and feel those obliques working!

Kick it up! Morning Bootcamp

Starting MAY 23rd I will be holding a morning bootcamp every Wednesday at 6:15am-7:15am in the South End Titus Sparrow park. Class is open to all and will be $10. To be honest, I am not sure how long this bootcamp series will last- its up to you and your commitment to make it happen!

This one hour bootcamp will make you SWEAT and will be based on interval training. High intensity short bursts of cardio, with breaks of active movement and strength training. This will be an awesome challenge for your body. Bring a friend, or not,  and kick start your Wednesday and summer off right.

If you have any questions please email me. All you will need to bring is a mat, water bottle, energy, and POWER.